Engineering Dean Search Announced: March 9, 2012

Dear University Community:

I am pleased to report that the search for the next dean of the
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is
underway. College of Arts and Sciences dean, Bruce Pitman and
SUNY Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering,
Venu Govindaraju have accepted my invitation to serve as
co-chairs.

As you know, Dr. Rajan Batta has been serving as first acting
and then interim dean of SEAS since April of 2011, when Dr. Harvey
Stenger was asked to serve as interim provost. Since Dr.
Stenger has left UB, it is important that we move forward and
commence an international search for UB’s next dean of
SEAS.

The search committee is comprised of faculty members from the
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and other areas that
regularly collaborate with the faculty of the SEAS. I am grateful
to the members of the search committee for their willingness to
assist UB in recruiting an outstanding individual for this
important university leadership position. Members of the
search committee include:

Diana Aga,Professor, Department of Chemistry,
College of Arts and Sciences

Sheldon Park,Assistant Professor, Department of
Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences

Teresa Quattrin,UB Distinguished Professor and
Chair, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical
Sciences

Alan Rabideau,Professor, Department of Civil,
Structural and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences

Under the leadership of Dean Pitman and Professor Govindaraju,
and with the support of the search committee, I have every
confidence that our search for the next dean of the School of
Engineering and Applied Sciences will be a great success. We
have secured the services of Dr. Ilene Nagel, head of the higher
education practice for Russell Reynolds, to assist the search
committee. Dr. Nagel has held faculty and senior
administrative posts at numerous AAU institutions, and has assisted
UB in multiple senior leadership searches, including the recent
presidential search, the current provost search, and the search
that resulted in the appointment of Harvey Stenger as dean of
SEAS. The search committee and search firm will be involved
in recruitment activities through the summer. We expect
on-campus visits by finalists for the position in the fall
semester, and hope to have the new dean in place by January, 2013.
Throughout the next months as the search moves forward, Dean Pitman
and Professor Govindaraju will communicate to the university the
committee’s progress in fulfilling their charge.